Continuous centrifugal machine.



F. H. ROBERTS.

CONTINUOUS GBNTRIPUGAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. I' Elow P. H. RBERTS.

CONTINUOUS GENTRIPUGAL MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY l, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

mbbi) www STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED H. ROBERTS, -OF STERLING, COLORADO.

' Specification of Letters Patent. i Application led May 1, 1909. SerialNo. 49331293.`

CONTINUOUS CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE.

Patented June 21, 1910.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED H. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United StatesofAmeric'a, residing at Sterling, county of Logan, and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Continuous Centrifugal Machine,of which the following is a speciiication. A

My invention relates to. improvements in continuously o eratingapparatus for separating liquids rom crystallized sugar, othercrystalline and non -crystalline or amorphous materials.

The objects of my invention are: first, to provide a continuouslyfeeding treatment centrifugal separator and drier for separating theliquid solutions from the solid matter of such materials as crystallizedsugar, salt or other crystalline material, sugar beet pulp, precipitatedsolids such as carbonate of lime in sugar beet juice, saccharate in theprocess of sugar making, ore pulps, or any other liquidpulps in whichitis desired to separate the liquid from the solid material of whichthey may be composed. Second, to provide a continuous feeding andoperating apparatus that' is especially adapted to separate the liquidelement of sugar magma from its solid element. Third, to provide acontinuously feeding and continuously operating centrifugal separator inwhich the liquid elements are Separated from the solid materialelements, and in which the liquid element is divided as desired intosolutions of diferent strengths, such as the fullstrength solution andwash water solution, which are separated from each other and from thesubstantially dry solid material. I attain these objects by themechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, -is a vertical,v longitudinal, sectional view, partly inelevation, of the improved machlne. Fig. 2, isa transverse, vertical,'sectional View thereof on the line 2 2 0f Fig, l. Fig. 3, is a lontudinal, sectional view of the vconveyer sha t detached. Figs. 4 and 5are transverse sectional views on the s ectively of Fig. 3. Fig. 6, isa'fra'gmentall longitudinal, sec# tional view illustrating a modicationin the means for feeding the material tothe Ina-v chine, a conicalscreen being shown in connection therewith. Fi 7, is 'a front view ofthe,head vshown in'rigg. Fig. 8, isa

conveyer which is a l1n ounted vertical cured. The opposite end o -feedthe material which is to directions or inthe same fragmental, sectional'view of a modified form of feeding device, illustrating a s iral daptedto be use instead of the feed device shown in Fig. l. F1g. 9, 1s anenlarged, sectional view of a portion of the screen cylinder. Fig. 10,is a transverse, sectional view of the hollow spiral water distributor,shown in Figs. 1 and'3. Fi 11, is an enlarged, transverse sectional viewof one of the cking rings used at the water inlet end ofp the conveyershaft, as shown in Fi 1. And Fig. 12, is a fragmentalsectiona viewshowin a fabric strip whichvmay -be interposed 2(between the twoscreensshown in Fig. 9.

Similar figures of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l, designates a bed plate uponwhich is pedestals 2, which are vided with journal boxes 3= and 3A. Thejournal box 3 is provided with a removable' anti-friction bushing 3B. Ashaft 4 is mounted in these journal boxes, upon 011e end of which a conepulley 5 or other d'ifer. ential speed power receivin device is 'sethisshaft 'is provided with an axial feed aperture 6,- which extends intoits end far enou h to be subjected to the separating and washin processinside of the adjacent 'portion ofg a cylindrical screen 7, throu hradial aperturesS formed' through the saft. This screen cylindercomprises a perforated casing, which 1s made in two halves and bolted attheir ends to heads 9. The-casing sections are also held together atintervals 4by two-part bands 1 0,

'which are bolted together' around the said casing, as shown lmostclearly in Fig. 2. Each head 9 is provided with a hub 11, which isrovided with removable.antij-fri'c'- tion bus ings 11A, ywhich arerotatably mounted on the shaft 4. A belt pulley 12' is keyed orotherwise secured to the hub 11 of the feed end of the cylinder, bywhich rotary motion is imparted to the cylinder independent of therotary motion imparted to the shaft by the cone pulley 5.' =The'shaftand the cylinder may be rotated in opposite i direction atdiferentrelative revolutions' of speedper minute, if desired, t'o e`ct 'the'best results.

The two Ahalves of the screencylinder' 7' Vico are provided with closelyarranged perforations 13, and are lined with screening ma.

erably laid against the coarse screen around terial arranged around theinside o the inside of the cylindrical casing. If de sired, however, theline screen or perforated plate ma be placed between the coarse screenan the inside ofthe casing.

In addition to the wire screens, my invention contemplates the use ofscreening fabrios, such as asbestos, canvas, cocoa-matting,-

and other suitable screening or filterin mad an against the casing orbetween the wire screens, and the screens are clam ed at their endsbetween the screen cylin er and the heads 9, as shown in Fig. 9.

The erforations through the shell of the cylindrical screen are placedclose enough together to form a practical screening or filtering surfacefor the liquids -of materials to be treated, and these perforations arepreferably provided with countersunk portions 15A. This cylindricalscreen is surrounded by a cylindrical casing 16, which is an imperforatecasing that is supported on legs 16A, which rest on the bed p ate l.This casing is divided into compartments 17, 18 and 19, by partitions 20and 21, and in the bottom of the compartments 17 and 18 enlargements 22are formed, in the bottoms of which dischar e valves 23 are placed, andthe bottom of e compartment 19 terminates in a trough 24A, in which anendless conveyer 24 is placed to convey any material therein outside ofthe casing, from which it runs to waste or is conveyed to furthertreatment. This cylindrical casing is made in sections that are boltedtogether by bolts 24B, These compartments below the cylindrical screenare curved downward far enough below the cylindrical screen to form thetank portion or enlargements 22, of sufficient capacity to hold thescreening liquid and the solid product of the material that is fed intothe cylindrical screen, and they are formed eccentric to the concentricportion of the casing that surrounds the cylindrical screen. Upon theshaft I mount an. endless spiral screw blade conveyer 25, whichissecured thereto by flange portions .26, that are secured to the shaft.This conveyer is made large enough in diameter to exteld to the screenlining ofthe screen cylinder, and it extends from the feed end ,of thecylinder to its discharge end, Vand is adapted to feed the materialthrough the cylindrical screen.

A circumferential row of discharge apera supplyr of water'underpressure.

tures 27 are formed at the discharge end of the cylinder, which arepreferably arranged to overlap each other, so that collectively theywill form a continuous row of discharge apertures throughout thecircumference of the cylindrical shell. At the feeding in end of theshaft a feed pipe 28 extends loosely into the axial aperture 6 in theshaft 4. This feed pipe is preferably supported by a bracket 29, whichextends from the pedestal. A valve 30 is placed in this pipe ad jacentto the bracket, and a feed hopper 30A is secured to the pi e adjacent tothe valve. The top end of thls feed hopper is closed by a cover 31,which is preferably removably secured to it in any referred manner.

A valve controlle pipe 33 is threaded to the cover'and extends to asupply of compressed air. A valve controlled pipe 34 is threaded to theside of the hopper adjacent to its cover, which leads to a supply ofmaterial to be separated or treated. The shaft is provided at its rearor discharge end portion with water inlet supply passages 35 and 36, twobeing preferably illustrated, but more may be used`if desired. Thesewater inlet passages extend axially into the rear end of the shaft, andtheir entrance ends are plugged up by threaded plugs 37. These waterapertures connect to circumferential grooves 38 and 39, formed aroundthe shaft, which are ypositioned to come underneath the two oppositeside edges of the journal box 3A, and each of these circumferentialgrooves is provided with radial apertures 40 and 41 respectively. Theradial apertures 40 extend from the groove 39 to the axial passage 36,and the apertures 41 extend from the groove 38 to the axial assage 35.The two grooves 38 and 39 reglster with two water chamber spaces 42 and43, which are formed in the opposite ends of the journal box, which areeach arranged to receive apertured packing rings 44 and 45, which liebetween the inner ends of water chambers 42 and 43, and glands 48 and49, which are loosely mounted on the shaft and are secured to the -endsof the boxes by screws 50.

The packing rings are of the form shown in Fig. 11, and compriseparallel rings 46, which are connected by an integral perforated band47, which permits the water to circulate in the water chambers 42 and43. These water chamber spaces are connected to pipes 51 and 52, whichare threaded to apertures in the journal boxes that connectwith thechambers, and that are 'connected to a general supply pipe 53, whichleads to The in- 'nerl ends of the axial water passages dischargethrough radial nipples 54 and 55,

into compartments 56 and 57, which are formed in a spiral drum 58 thatsurrounds the lsha-ft Vat a short distance from its discharging end togive awash water treatt ment to the separated material during the lastpart of its feeding movement through the cylindrical screen. This drumconsists of a flat spirally `formed casing that is divided into the twoor more compartments 56 v ward the interior screen surface of thecylindrical screen.

In Fig. 6, I illustrate a tapering cylindrical screen, and also atapering spiral screw shaped flange conveyer, both of which are similarin other respects to the straight cylindrical screen and the screwflange of Fig. 1 except that the feeding in end of the cylindricalscreen is provided with a conical head 60, which is provided withapertures 61. In this form of cylindrical screen head theA material tobe separated is fed through an independent pipe 62,k instead of throu hthe shaft 4. This pipe 62 is supporte by the bracket which projects fromthe pedestal. This pulp feeding pipe is arranged to extend close to theapertures in the conical head and discharge into and through them as thehead and cylinder are rotated on the shaft 4 by the pulley 12. Thisarrangement allows a little of the material to fall on the head betweenthe apertures. An introverted flanged ridge 64 is vformed around theentrance peripheral edge of the head, which catches this dischargedmaterial to be separated, and it flows down or isthrown by centrifugalforce into and through the apertures in the head.

In Fig. 8, isillustrated a modified form of feeder, which 'consistsof aspiral conveyer 65, that is supported in .the chamber 6 of the shaft 4f.This conveyer receivesA the material from the hopper 30A, and forces itto the inner end of the chamber 6, where itl discharges into the screenthrough the openings 8. The conveyer is operated by a driven pulley 66.

The operation of myeimproved centrifugal separator is as follows: Asupply of material, which may be and preferably is sugar magma-,but maybe precipitated solids, such as salt, sugar beet pulp, paper, ore orother pulps, is fed i-nto the hopper 30A through 'the feed pipe 34. Asupply of'- compressed air is also fed into the hopper through the pipe33. The valve 30r is then opened and y the shaft and cylindrical screenare rotated preferably at different speeds in the same directions, butmay be operated in the opposite direction if necessary, and a supplyofwash water is admitted to the interior of the discharge end portion ofthe cylindrical screen,,through the perforated drum and the water supplypipes land passages.l The.

or other suitable.;conveyer,24 an material, to

pulp through the several screens and through the apertures in the shellof the cylinder, as

the sugar or other pulp is fed along through the cylinder by the spiralflange screw. The liquid syrup from the'material to be treated fallsinto the compartment 17 of the outer cylindrical casing, and is drawnoff vfrom time to time or continuously through the valve 23 in itsbottom.` When` the material to be treated reaches the perforated drumportion its syrup or wateryfliquid has been mostly separated from it bythe centrifugal feeding movement action through the cylinder, and thesolid material is subjected .to l

a washingftreatment by means of the numerous jets of water flowing from4the perforated drum, which separates from it practically all oftheremaining liquid. syrup or watery fluid in the pulp as -it 1s moved Ithrough the screen cylinder from the perforated drum to the dischargeaperture 27 at the end 'of the cylinder, and this liquid product flowsthrough the screens and drops into the bottom portion of the compartment18 of the outer casing, and is drawn off when desired through the valve23, and the solid material when the spiral flange screw has fed it tothe dischargeend of the screen cylinder, has had its liquid portionseparated from it by the centrifugal action of the rotating cylindricalscreen and the feeding movement of the material throughthe cylinder, andthe semi-dry material is discharged through the apertures 27 Ainto thetrough 24A of the c0mpartment19, as a substantially damp ormoistbody-of. the material under treatmentn 'The compartment 18 of thecasing 16, may be .madeas long as the conditions may require, in orderthat the wash'water treatment of the `material may be ofsuliicientduration to thoroughly this point. From the trough 24A'thevseparat-ed solid material is conveyed b thescrew ing trough towasteor tofurther treatment. My invention is simple and enablessugar,

salt, or other 'crystallinemateriah sugarl beet pulp, precipitatedsolids such as 4carbonate of lime in sugar beet juices, saccharate inthe process of su ar maklng, or'any other liquid e separatedy `fromtheir; solid material'in a continuously operating treatsurroundlseparateY from the, material all syrup which is not removed when thematerial reaches ment that makes a separation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred construction of myinvention, I do not wish to be confined to the detailed arrangement ofthe same, as many changes might be madewithout departing from the spiritof my invention.

Having described my invention', what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is:

1. 'A continuous feeding, Washin liquid separating and pulp drying andischarging centrifugal separator, comprising a shaft rotatably mounted,a screening cylinder rotatably mounted on said shaft, means for feedingany fluid material containing suspended solids to said cylindricalscreen, means including a hopper and a pipe, provided with a supply ofcompressed air, for feeding such material through said cylindricalscreen, means for discharging semidry material from said screen, meansincluding a perforated drum surrounding said shaft for supplying WashWater to a predetermined part of said cylindrical screen, and means forrotating said shaft and screen.

2. A continuously feeding, Washing, and discharging separator for sugar,other crystalline, non-crystalline, and amorphous materials, comprisinga rotatably journaled shaft, a cylindrical screen comprising aperforated cylinder lined With screening material mounted rotatably onsaid shaft, means including a feed hopper and a pipe attached to saidhopper and leading to a supply of compressed air for forcing materialinto said screen, means including a perforated drum surrounding saidshaft for conveying Water to the discharging end portion of said screen,a circumferential row of overlapping discharge apertures at thedischarge end of said perfectly satisfactory screen, a flange shapedscreviT conveyor mounted on said shaft and arranged to convey thematerial to be separated :through said cylindrical screen, and means forrotating said shaft and screen independently of each other.

3. `In a continuously feeding separator for separating solids fromliquids, the combination of the base plate, the standards and thescreens, with the shaft rotatably mounted in said standards, a feedchamber in one end of said shaft opening into said cylinder, a valvecontrolled feed pipe supported by one of said standards, extendingloosely into said shafts feed aperture, a hopper secured to said feedpipe provided with a cover, a feeding supply pipe connected to saidhopper at one end, and a valve controlled pipe connect-l ed to saidcover at one end and extending to a supply of compressed air.

4. In a continuously feeding centrifugal separator for separating solidsfrom liquids,

the combination of the rotatably journaled shaft, the .cylindricalscreen rotatably mounted on said shaft, means including atrolleddischarge aperture in tWo of said compartments, and a conveyer in thethird compartment.

5. In a continuously feeding centrifugal separator for separating solidsfrom liquids, the combination of the multiple compartment casing, thecylindrical screen, and means including a hopper for feeding thematerial to be separated to said cylindrical screen, with journalbearings adjacent to said cylindrical screen, a shaft journaled in saidjournal bearings and supporting said cylindrical screen, Water supplypassages in said shaft opening into said screen at a predetermined partof its length, radial apertures in said shaft connecting With said Waterpassages, circumferential grooves in said shaft connecting With saidradial apertures, stuffing boxes arranged in the opposite ends of one ofsaid journal boxes, arranged to inclose said grooves, and valvecontrolled Water supply ipes connected to said journal bearings anregistering With said grooves.

6. In a machine as specified, a shaft; a cylindrical screen surroundingsaid shaft and mounted upon the same, and means for rotating said shaftand screen independently of each other; a spiral conveyer secured uponsaid shaft; a casing surround ing the screen, having separate annular'compartments; outlet valves 1n the compartments preceding the last one;a conveyer in the bottom of said last compartment; means for supplyingWater to the interior of the screen; and means. for feeding material tothe interior of the screen through a chamber in one end of the shaft.

7. In a device as specified, the combination with a rotatable shaft,having a chamber in one end and openings extending through saidshaft tothe inner end of the chamber; longitudinal Water passages inthe oppositeend of said shaft; annular grooves in said shaft; radial aperturesconnecting each of said grooves with one or the other of said passages;a bearing surrounding the shaft having annular Water channelssurrounding the said annular grooves; skeleton packing rings in saidchannels which permit free circulation of the Water lin said channels,and glandsfor holding said rings in said channels; Water supply pipesconnected With the channels; a splral distributer surrounding the shaftand connected with the Water passages in the shaft; a conveyer on saidshaft; a screen surroundin chamber and its openings to the interiorof'10 said conveyer and mounted on said sha t the screen.v

and ada ted to be rotated independently of In testimony whereof I aix mysignature thei slaft); a casing sulrroundng the scren in presence 'oftWo Witnesses.

an ivded into annu a1' compartments or l receiving the screenedmaterial; a conveyer FRED H' ROBERTS" in the last compartment and valvedoutlets Witnesses:

in the other compartments; and Imeans for G. SARGENT ELLIOTT,

forcing vmateriel through the said shaft ADELLA M. FOWLE.

